According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Moscow continues to act as a mediator in talks between Damascus and Syrian Kurds.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (Photo: Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev)
During an interview with the Izvestiya newspaper, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Moscow has been playing a role of the mediator in talks between Damascus and Syrian Kurds. According to Lavrov, the dialogue between the Syrian government and Syrian Kurds develops and has structural shifts.
“The Russian side makes efforts to establish a common understanding between the Syrian government and the Syrian Kurds for the sake of a united Syria,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
He also noted that in June and December 2016, there were four rounds of contacts between the “Syrian government delegation” and “representatives of the political and public structures of Syrian Kurds,” including the leadership of the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Lavrov stressed that Moscow considers that such an intra-Syrian dialogue is very useful.
“We note existence of a serious potential for reaching agreements that is evidenced by the significant number of points of contacts in the positions of the sides and the constructive progress that we have seen in recent times,” he added.
According to the Russian Foreign Minister, the “Kurdish issue” is one of the main factors of “saving of the Syrian state and prospects of comprehensive stabilization in the Middle East.”
“Our close involvement in the affairs of the region, dictated by interests of restoring stability there and elimination of the hearth of international terrorism, requires to continue efforts for assistance of the search for necessary compromises that would allow all ethnic and religious groups of Syrian people to live in peace and harmony and to feel themselves comfortable in the united country,” Lavrov said.
He also stressed that only Syrians have a right to decide in which country they will live and who will stand at the head of the state, this line of Russia is not subject to conjunctural changes.
“The unanimously adopted Security Council Resolution 2254 remains a key element of the internationally recognized base of the Syrian settlement,” Lavrov said. “It identifies priority areas of the multilateral efforts on the Syrian direction, gives international legal weight to the collective work on preparation of the negotiations between the Syrian government and whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition.”